Contrecœur (French pronunciation: [kɔ̃tʁəkœʁ]) is a city in southwestern Quebec, Canada on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River. The population as of the Canada 2021 Census was 9,480. Contrecœur is approximately 45 kilometres (28 mi) northeast of Montreal and is accessible via Autoroute 30, the main road from the southwest, which continues on to Sorel-Tracy.

History

In 1672, Antoine Pécaudy de Contrecœur, a soldier of the Carignan-Salières Regiment, originally from Saint-Chef, Isère, France, was granted a seigneury by King Louis XIV. He and 68 other pioneers founded the town in 1681, and it is named in his honour. A migratory bird sanctuary is located near the town on Contrecœur Island. Contrecœur is currently twinned with Saint-Chef, in southeast France, and has been since 1993.

The steel mill in Contrecoeur-West was in 1994 privatised by the Quebec government. The initial owner of Norambar was Stelco, until Mittal purchased it in 2004. The steel mill in Contrecoeur-Est, Sidbec-Dosco, was privatised in 1994 into Ispat International. Mittal purchased that too, and merged with Arcelor to form ArcelorMittal in 2006. The Contrecoeur-West and Contrecoeur-East were administratively merged into ArcelorMittal Long Products Canada.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Contrecoeur had a population of 9,480 living in 4,116 of its 4,252 total private dwellings, a change of 20.2% from its 2016 population of 7,887. With a land area of 62.2 km (24.0 sq mi), it had a population density of 152.4/km (394.7/sq mi) in 2021.

Population trend:

• Population in 2021: 9,480 (2016 to 2021 population change: 20.2%)
• Population in 2016: 7,887
• Population in 2011: 6,252
• Population in 2006: 5,678
• Population in 2001: 5,222
• Population in 1996: 5,331
• Population in 1991: 5,501
• Population in 1986: 5,553
• Population in 1981: 5,449

Canada Census Mother Tongue - Contrecœur, Quebec
Census		Total		French				English				French & English				Other
Year		Responses		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %
2021		9,440		8,900	18.0%	94.3%		120	20.0%	1.3%		80	128.6%	0.8%		265	82.8%	2.8%
2016		7,840		7,540	25.1%	96.2%		100	25.0%	1.3%		35	133.3%	0.4%		145	123.1%	1.8%
2011		6,185		6,025	11.3%	96.41%		80	128.6%	1.29%		15	62.5%	0.24%		65	27.8%	1.05%
2006		5,580		5,415	7.2%	97.04%		35	12.5%	0.63%		40	n/a%	0.72%		90	100.0%	1.61%
2001		5,135		5,050	1.7%	98.34%		40	42.9%	0.78%		0	0.0%	0.00%		45	80.0%	0.88%
1996		5,235		5,140	n/a	98.18%		70	n/a	1.34%		0	n/a	0.00%		25	n/a	0.48%

Education

Centre de services scolaire des Patriotes operates francophone public schools, including:

• École des Coeurs-Vaillants
• École Mère-Marie-Rose

The Riverside School Board operates anglophone public schools, including:

• Harold Sheppard Elementary School in Sorel-Tracy
• Heritage Regional High School in Longueuil

Gallery

• 
  Contrecœur in the early 20th century
• 
  Rue de la Station Contrecœur around 1910

See also

• List of cities in Quebec